Through It All
by MistGirl1423
Summary: A young woman is saved from a fate many would rather die than live through. She is brought to Fairy Tail where she begins to truly be able to live her life. But what happens when people from her past come after her again? Will the guild be able to handle it? Will the young man who has started to care for her be able to help her? Or will he lose her for good? I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL
1. Prologue - Save Me

**A/N: Hello! this is my first Fairy Tail fic. I can't promise how often i will be able to update, but i will try to keep it fairly regular. Well, here we go! I hope you enjoy!**

Darkness… That is all I see. It is all I have seen for so long, that now I do not truly remember what light is, what color is. I am trapped, in this dark prison, and I can feel myself slowly dying from being deprived contact with nature for so long. It is something I need, something that I crave. The bits of it that come of those who hold me here are no longer enough. If I could just feel grass again, look at trees, hold the animals of the forest where I grew up again, I would be fine I believed; I would be strong enough to escape. When I was young, my mother told me nature would always sustain me, that earth was not filthy, but full of life. This was truer than humans could ever fathom. It was what had sustained my mother for the millennia that she had been through. She was the most powerful being I knew, and she taught me my magic. Oh, Gods, I miss her. She would have been able to tear through these chains, these walls, and these people without any hindrance. It has been nearly 10 years (if the mutterings of the men that hold me captive are to be believed) since I have seen her. Since she disappeared into nothing. That was when I was taken; I was six years old at the time.

A loud creak permeates the silence of my prison, breaking me from my thoughts, and I hear the footsteps of one of my captors.

"It is time for your daily prepping, bitch. We have someone who is willing to pay top price for you, being young and pure, so you better be on your best behavior. If not, well, he likes his tools from what I hear. So be a good little girl and give him what he asks of you." These words are punctuated at the end with a hard hit across my face, and are the last thing I hear or feel as I retreat into my own mind, where it is safer. I do not want this. Someone. Anyone. Please. _Save me_.


	2. Chapter 1 - Released Beast

**A/N: Here is the first chapter! Please read and review! :)**

The man sees the girl's body go limp, and releases a lecherous smile. The client was only paying for a short period of time with the girl, and not wanting his wife to know he did such things, he was coming to one of the locations the man's group set up for such things up in the mountains – a lodge that is seemingly for the rich, but really just a front for his business. After the client was done, the girl was free reign until the next person wanted to buy her. Oh how he could not _wait_ for that moment. The time he could finally have her to himself, when he could personally break her. He would pay back the beast that ruined one of his trading rings through Bosco in the best way possible – by desecrating and humiliating the child that it raised and breaking her once strong will. Until then, he will get her ready for the client. He unhooks her from the chains keeping her in place, replacing the magic-cancelling cuffs with a choker that does the same. He makes sure she is bathed and has her moved to the location the client was meeting them at. A knock at the door sounds before one of his lackeys enters the room, bowing at him before leering at the girl while he speaks.

"Sir, Mister Jenters is here. He is waiting in the lobby."

"Very well. I will be out at once to meet him. Make sure no one else enters the room if it is not myself or our client. Oh, and no indulging yourself, either. The rich fool is paying well for her to be pure." The man glares at his lackey, walking out the door of the lavish room and down to the lobby of the, supposedly exclusive, hotel that was being used for this transaction. He sees the client, sitting in a plush armchair with a glass of wine in hand, and goes over to him. "Mister Jenters, I presume?"

"Yes. Though do not use my name so much. Even a location such as here has gossips. I do not need the hassle that would ensue if my wife were to find out about this. She is enough to deal with as is. Now, is this girl truly as you describe her?" Jenters stands, looking down his nose at the man.

"Of course, good sir. If you follow me, you can see for yourself. A stunning young woman, no outside attachments to come looking for her, and surely pure, as she has been here under watch since we came across her many years ago. We do have a collar on her, which suppresses the magic she has, so that is nothing you have to worry about either." He keeps describing the girl as they walk up to the room. The lackey that was posted at the door hears their voices and opens the door. They walk in and Jenters gasps.

"Well, she truly is a remarkable looking creature." He starts walking around where she was pulled to stand before him, "There are a few marks that mar her skin, was she disobedient?"

"She has had times where she has lashed out, but most of that has been beaten out of her. Of course, if for some reason, she tries to act out with you, you are more that free to put her in place. For the time you are here, she is yours to do with as you wish." The man dips his head at his client to show he means his words. These rich bastards always love to be deferred to, so he will fake it as best he can for the payout this nobleman is willing to give for this. "You did mention you were partial to some instruments, and if that is what you want, do what you wish. All we ask is that she remains living."

"That should be no problem. This seems like a fantastic sale. My man downstairs will be able to pay you the price you asked for. Now, leave us." Jenters waves his hand at the other two dismissively. Oh, the man did not care for that, but the rich fool was paying well, and he will do anything for money. The man walks out the door with the other following him, closing the door as he goes. He finds Jenters' man with the briefcase back in the lobby and the sale is completed. Now he just has to wait the hour until the client is finished with the girl, and then she will be his.

About thirty minutes pass and an ear piercing scream rips through the air. The man looks in the general direction of the room. It seems like the client has decided to use his toys. Another scream ripped through the air, this one louder and longer.

"Tch, he better not kill her. I told him she needs to stay alive." The man growled, glaring at the man in a suit that had given him the money for the client.  
"Oh, he will, sir. The master is just having his fun." The gravelly voice of the suited man answered.

"If she is dead at the end of his 'fun' I expect triple the payment."  
"Of course, sir."

Meanwhile, on the same mountain, just about a mile away, a group of four wizards are training. The leader of the group, a big brute of a man with bright blonde hair, starts to dole out tasks for a training regimen. This man is Laxus Dreyer, grandson of the Master of the Fairy Tail guild.

"Bixlow, keep working on your agility, I will be shooting lightning at you, I want you to dodge it all. Evergreen, you reaction times are slow, you will be doing the same thing. Freed, I want you working on defense first, make sure you can shield moving targets, and then you will start attacking as well. GO!" the blonde bellowed at his team and starts powering up his lightning. He first shoots at the man with the visor, Bixlow, who jumps and flips over the lightning, calling upon his magic and the totems that are brought into being with it, and using them to help him dodge. Next he starts going after the only woman of their group, Evergreen, making his strikes at her a little slower as she starts dodging by calling on her magic and creating herself a set of wings. He gradually picks up the speed of his strikes, dodging the return blasts of his team, and as he shoots at Evergreen again, almost hitting her, his lightning hits a barrier. Freed, the third man of the team, is writing runes with his sword at a very fast speed, allowing the barriers to cover him and the other two, and begins to attack as well after He lets out a feral grin, and amps up the power. He keeps hitting the barriers and is now dodging attacks from all three of his team members. Freed is about to use his Dark Ecriture, when they hear a faint scream. The whole team pauses, looking at each other.

"What was that?" Evergreen opens her hand fan and puts it in front of her face in shock. Just as Bixlow opens his mouth to reply, probably sarcastically, another scream rips the air much louder than the last.

"It's coming from the direction of that fancy ass lodge that is up here, should we check it out?" Bixlow frowns at his leader, waiting for a response. As he is looking at Laxus, he notices the man tensed up. Suddenly, Laxus is bolting towards the sound of the scream. "I guess that is a yes, let's go!"

The team follows their leader, behind him by a decent amount, but still keeping him in sight. They have never seen the man like this, especially lately. He has been pushing them harder and harder, been distant and cold with people, and hasn't seemed to show interest in helping anyone much anymore. Seeing him like this, rushing to help someone that is obviously being hurt, was surprising. They were honestly also a bit relieved as well, as this meant that their leader hasn't completely lost sight of who he was. They reach the lodge in about ten minutes, and see Laxus bash the door in.

"Well, that is one way to make an ent-" Bixlow's teasing remark is silenced by yet another scream. This time they can tell it is a girl that is in distress. Laxus is the first to notice the three men in the lobby standing and pointing weapons at them. He shoots each of them with a bolt of lightning, paralyzing them as his team rushes by, looking in each room to see if they can find whoever is in trouble. As Laxus is about to join in bashing room doors down, a crash is heard from the floor above them. They all race up the stairs and, due to his enhanced hearing, Laxus bashes down the third door from the stairs after hearing a small whimper. As they enter the room, each of them stills in shock. They see an older man holding what looks to be a small knife cutting into a young girl that is naked and chained to a bed. Blood is everywhere; around the girl, on the walls, on the floor, and covering the man. At the intrusion, the man looks up at the door, and pales at the sight of four well known Fairy Tail mages.

"What the hell?" Evergreen's whisper and the small pained noises from girl spurs the rest of her team into movement. Bixlow sends his totems after the man, pushing him away from the girl.

"Keep him there, babies! Scum like him don't need to be comfortable either, so rough him up a bit too." The Seith Mage ground out as his totems do as he asked. During this, Laxus and Freed both went to the girl to see if they could help her, Evergreen following once she got over the shock.

"These are magic cancelling cuffs, it will take me a while to open them unless we can find a key." Freed looks at Laxus, wondering what the man wanted him to do.

"Downstairs, one of those assholes might have one, go look." Came the gruff response. Freed left and Laxus is about to pick the girl up to try and get her a little more comfortable, when Evergreen stops him. He growls at her in warning, but she puts a hand on his arm, still trying to stop him from touching her.

"She needs to be cleaned up, and she is naked. I will clean her up, because it is not appropriate for a man to do so. Maybe you could see if there is anything we can use to cover her up?" Evergreen kept her voice soft. She was a little worried that Laxus would not listen to her, as he was still growling at her, but the man moved and did what she asked. As he was ripping open closets and drawers to see if there was anything, Evergreen started to get the girl cleaned up as best she could. With the help of one of Bixlow's babies, she gets strips of the bed sheets and wraps as many of the wounds as she can. At first the girl struggles against her, but after she starts whispering soothing words to her, the girl calms down enough and even tries to lean more towards Evergreen. After the wounds are wrapped as well as they could be, Evergreen uses the left over strips of cloth and a bottle of water that must have been left for the disgusting man being held captive by her teammate to wash as much of the blood off the girl as she could. The left over water she gave to the girl, who greedily guzzled it. Laxus came over at this point and dropped his jacket on Evergreen's lap while being turned away.

"We will just have to use this. The sick fucks didn't have anything here that we could use." The man growled lowly, glaring at the man that was now being held upside down, as Bixlow was letting his babies play around with the frightened man. As he finished his sentence, Freed ran back in the door, panting while holding a small key.

"Here, this should work, though we should hurry. The man I got this off of was calling in reinforcements as I approached. They will be here within minutes." Freed tossed the key to Laxus who immediately turned to the now covered girl and started removing the cuffs and collar. This had some color returning to her, as her magic was able to start healing her a little. Laxus stayed near the girl as she became slightly more lucid and was looking around with blank eyes. She moved slightly, and let out a low pained noise, to which Laxus let out a soothing growl in response. His team looked on in wonder as a little bit of light came back to her eyes as she looked at the blonde mage and another small keen came from her, Laxus once again making the same soothing noise. The girl, currently in Evergreen's arms, reached for him. In return, he held out his arms and took her from Evergreen. She immediately curled into the burly man, his size dwarfing her own small stature, and clung to him.

"Laxus, what is going on?" evergreen spoke in a soft voice, but was insanely curious.

"He is like me." They were all surprised at the small voice of the girl who was looking at each of them in turn, finally resting her gaze on the man who was emitting a similar scent to the one she has missed so dearly.

"A Dragon Slayer." Freed looked wide eyed at the girl who nodded. As Laxus kept letting out the soothing growls, the girl's eyes started drooping. Soon she was sleeping in the man's arms, and not a moment too soon. A loud crash was heard from downstairs and many pairs of footsteps.

"Ever, take her out of here. Freed, Bix, go with them. No one touches them." A low growl came from Laxus as he stood.

"What are you going to do?" Bixlow looked from the man he was still having his babies pin to the wall to his leader. Seeing that the old man had passed out from being held upside down for too long, he dropped him on the floor. Laxus, now fully standing, had lightning covering him.

"I'm going to fry them all. So once you get out of the building, Freed, put up runes to protect you all. Then call the Council to pick them all up." His team nodded at him, all going out the window to avoid the stampeding group that was getting closer to them. As soon as he saw his team safe under the barrier, he let his power escalate and a few men entered the room ready to fight him. "All right, you pieces of shit, you're done."

And the beast inside him was released, calling his power and demolishing all in his wake.


	3. Chapter 2 - Awake

**A/N: Here we go! Chapter 2! :) I know it isn't the longest of chapters, but I will make up for it in later chapters. Thank you for reading!**

The group outside watched as lightning swirled around the building before one solid strike was pulled down, blasting the walls apart, and knocking out all of the men that were called in as reinforcements. As the electricity in the air was dissipating, the Rune Knights arrived. Freed dispelled his barrier and walked over to the Rune Knights to talk to them and let them know what they had found. As he is speaking, Laxus comes out from the rubble of the building, going straight towards Evergreen who is still holding the young girl.

"How is she doing?" he glanced at Evergreen before looking back down at the face of the still sleeping girl.

"She is doing fine. Her breathing has stayed even and she didn't wake up while you were fighting." The woman answered her leader. Freed then walks over with the unit captain of the Rune Knights.

"Laxus Dreyer, leader of the Thunder Legion, grandson of Fairy Tail's Master Makarov, I am Unit Captain Lahar. On behalf of the Magic Council, we would like to extend a thank you for unveiling a major human trafficking ring, destroying one of their holdings, and allowing one of the ring leaders to be caught. I have been told that there was a captive that was rescued. We will need to speak with her." The captain pushed his glasses up his nose and made to step closer to the girl. This had Laxus emit a low growl and his eyes flashed in warning.

"She needs to rest. She has been through a traumatic experience, and needs to heal. You can come find her at Fairy Tail at a later date, and if she is ready, then and only then will you be asking her any questions." Evergreen had handed the young girl to Laxus and was now standing with one hand on her hip, pointing at the captain with her fan while she spoke.

"I need to speak with her about this. She is a key witness to what they have been doing, and may know more about the trafficking ring." Lahar's voice became a little harsher. Laxus growled, turned away, and started walking. "Stop at once! That girl must answer questions for the Magic Council!"

"I believe I told you. She. Must. Heal. First. Then, we can send word to the council when she is ready to talk, but not one minute before. If you continue to insist, then you can deal with Laxus and Master Makarov, whom will be none too pleased to hear that you were willing to harass a child that has been through so much and is still wounded." Evergreen glared at Lahar once more before following after Laxus and the rest of her team. She could hear the captain scoff before walking back to his unit. She let out a small sigh in relief, knowing that if he kept persisting, she would have to find a way to stop Laxus from frying him. Catching up to the males of the group, she runs a hand through her hair. "Well, they should leave us alone now."

"That's a relief. Who knows how much more Laxus could have held out from shocking them!" Bixlow let out a low chuckle. "They would have deserved it, though. I was getting ready to sick the babies on that dumbass captain."

"Yes, they were becoming quite the nuisances." Freed shook his head at the situation.

"They were being a pain in the ass. Damn morons can go whine to the damn council if they want, but they aren't getting to her til she feels better." Laxus grumbles. The rest of his team nods in agreement. A small whine is heard, and the team stills, looking once more at the girl in the Lightning Mage's arms. Her hand grips the coat around her tighter and she curls into herself a little more. Laxus softly growls, and the girl relaxes slightly in his hold.

"Laxus, why do you keep making that noise, and why does she respond to it so well?" Freed was a curious man by nature, and seeing his leader act so different from normal caused his curiosity to peak.

"With her being a Dragon Slayer, and with the Lacrima in me giving me the traits of a Dragon Slayer, it gives us a more primitive side. My dragon has accepted her as kin, and hers responded to that. The growls were to calm her down, reassuring her she wasn't alone and was safe." Was the gruff response. His team knew he wasn't thrilled with how he came by his magic and that he had to look up a lot of information about it, as it caused many changes. Freed nodded in understanding of the explanation, he himself had done research as well to be able to help his leader. He understood that sometimes the dragon instincts took over and there wasn't much to be done about it.

"Alright, we should head to the guild as quick as we can. Thankfully, we are near a town and it should take us less than four hours to reach Magnolia by train." Evergreen then hurried the men to the town and train station. They knew they need to get the girl medical treatment as soon as possible and there was no town before Magnolia that could offer aid. Once on the train, the Thunder Legion noticed that the girl ended up looking nauseous, as well as Laxus. They had experienced this with their leader before, but were surprised to find she would have motion sickness as well. With Laxus out of it, Bixlow picked up the girl from his arms and laid her across the seat that he and Evergreen were sharing. He put her head on Evergreen's lap and made sure she was still covered with the large coat.

"Good thing that she is still asleep, not sure I could handle it if she got sick in front of us." Bixlow gave his signature 'tongue-grin' as Evergreen started rubbing the girl's head trying to help her relax. The others of the group made noises of agreement and then settled in for the train ride, periodically checking to make sure the make-shift bandages on the girl weren't being bled through. As soon as the train pulled into the station and came to a stop, Laxus was back to himself and picked the girl up from Evergreen's lap. The Thunder Legion then all raced to the guild hall. As they get to the guild, they can hear the usual ruckus caused by Natsu and any other who ended up getting caught in the daily brawl. The harsh opening of the doors caused the guild to go silent.

"Where are Master and Mirajane?" Freed quickly spoke up.

"Master is away, but I am right here, Freed. What is it?" a beautiful white haired woman walked over to the man as she watched Laxus quickly pass her holding a bundle and going towards the infirmary.

"Please follow us quickly, Mirajane. There is a young girl in need of medical attention." A small gasp left the woman as she hurried to follow Freed who rushed towards the infirmary.

"I am going to our place to get her some clothes. I am sure I can find something to fit her, at least for now. Bix, try calling the master, we are going to need to inform him of what is going on." Evergreen walked out of the guild again, and Bixlow pulled out a Lacrima com, dialing up Master Makarov. He fills in the Master and starts to walk towards the stairs leading to the infirmary when Freed and Laxus, looking none too thrilled, come down.

"What's going on? She ok?" he looks at Freed as Laxus just glowers more.

"Yes, she will be fine. Once Mirajane noticed that she was only covered in Laxus' coat, she kicked us out of the infirmary so she can clean her up more and re-bandage her. Where did Evergreen go?" Freed glanced around, seeing if he could spot his only female teammate.

"Ever went to go see if she could find something for the girl to wear."

"And I succeeded, too! Now excuse me, I will go give them to her." That was all they saw of Evergreen as she breezed past them with an entire suitcase. They just shook their heads and went to their usual table to wait. It was easy to see Laxus was restless, waiting to hear about the girl's state. When asked, all he could think was that his dragon was having him be protective and that he wanted to be there when she woke up. Evergreen then came back to wait with them, only stating that she left the clothes in there and exited the room to let Mirajane do her thing.

Mirajane came out and let them know that she is stable right now, and that she has called Porlyusica to come check on her to make sure. Said woman comes through the guild doors an hour later, going straight to the infirmary. After a while, she comes back down saying the girl will be fine, only needing to rest now and let her wounds heal. With that Porlyusica leaves and the Thunder Legion all go to the infirmary to check on their small charge themselves. They all sit around the bed she is laying in, not letting their voices get to loud as they all talk to each other as they watch over her. By the next day, the Master has returned and was filled in by his grandson of all that had happened, including the girl and her condition. Makarov takes it all in, feeling sad for all the young girl went through, and proud of his grandson and his team for helping her. He tells them such, and all of them give half grins at the small man. As he goes to leave them be, he asks that they let him know when she awakes. They agree and settle back to watch over her some more.

Four days have now passed as they wait for the girl to regain consciousness. They had been kicked out of the infirmary by Mirajane who wanted to see how she was doing and check her bandages. They all go sit at their regular table, waiting to be able to go back in. All of a sudden a loud crash was heard from the direction of the infirmary, causing them all to bolt that direction.

It seemed their guest was finally awake.


	4. Chapter 3 - New Home

**A/N: alright! Here is chapter 3! It took a bit longer than I would have like to get it up for you guys, but work has been insane! Just wanted to say thank you to itsmyah1 for favoriting! It means a lot! :) hope you enjoy!**

I could feel myself coming back to consciousness. I breathed in, taking in all the scents around me. Where am I? I don't remember anything smelling like this. Was there a new holding area for the captives? I slowly open my eyes to see white walls, and as I become more lucid, I am overwhelmed by the smell of sanitary items. My eyes shoot open as I look around more.

"Oh my! It's so good to see you awake." A soft voice comes from close behind me. This causes me to shoot off the bed I was laying on, knocking over some sort of metal basin in the process. It only briefly passes through my mind that I can feel my magic and that I can get away from the bed. I push myself into a corner of the room looking wide-eyed at the woman in front of me. Her eyes got softer, and she started to walk closer to me as I cowered farther into the corner. "Oh, it's ok now. You are safe here. You are at the Fairy Tail guild. My name is Mirajane Strauss, and I am a mage here. What is your name?"

I don't have a chance to even think of if I was going to answer her as the door bangs open. All of a sudden a calming scent washes over me. I emit a small whine, and a low growl is returned. I look up at the people that entered, and seeing that there were three males made me shrink back more before letting out the whine again. The bigger of the males, a blonde tower of a man, steps forward making the calming growl again. My inner dragon was responding to him, and that is when I remembered that he was the man that calmed me down at that mountain place. This man in front of me was a Dragon Slayer, and my inner dragon reacts to his, claiming him as kin. I relax a little as he approached me, knowing that while he is near, I will not be harmed. When dragons claim each other as kin, there is nothing they won't do to protect each other.

"Come here, little one." Even his gruff voice is calming, and I push myself out of the corner into his arms that wrap around me as he sits, bringing me into his lap.

"Brother." It is the only thing that is running through my head as I feel the comfort that he is giving to me. I haven't felt this safe in over ten years.

"Yea, I'm your brother now. My name is Laxus, and I am a Lightning Dragon Slayer. Can you tell me about yourself, little one?" he nuzzles my hair as he speaks to me, helping me relax a little more. I am still wary, though, as there are still other people around us that I do not know. I am in an unfamiliar place, with people I do not know, and still unsure if I am away from the people who held me captive. Laxus, sensing my uneasiness, held me tighter. "It is ok, little one, I promise you that you are safe. The scum that had you can't touch you anymore. You are with Fairy Tail, and Fairy Tail protects it's own. These guys may seem scary or weird, or even overly excited, but none will hurt you. If they even try, they have to go through me, ok?"

"Yea, we promise no one will hurt you, ok? I am Bixlow, and I was there with this big lug when we found you. Evergreen, myself, Laxus and this guy right here, Freed, were all there, and we all saw Laxus take care of the baddies. So, please, can you tell us your name?" the man with the visor that came in with Laxus bent over and grinned with his tongue sticking out of his mouth showing off a symbol on his tongue.

' _A brand? Why is he branded? Do they all have that mark?'_ I looked at him, the other male in the room, the lady with white hair, and finally back to Laxus. I figured that if Laxus trusts them, then I can as well, brand or not.

"Abilene Briar. I am a Nature Dragon Slayer." I knew my voice was barely loud enough for them to all hear, but I was nervous. I was never truly allowed to speak often when I was captive.

"That is a beautiful name, and did you say you were a Dragon Slayer?" Mirajane bent a little at the knee so she wasn't speaking down at me, but instead was eye level. I just nodded in response, clinging to my new found brother tighter. I was not used to people being so kind; it threw me off a little. "Is there any way you would be willing to show us a little of your magic?"

"Um…" I looked at Laxus, who made a low noise of comfort once more, and I nodded. "Do you have any flowers in here that are ill?" I still did not allow my voice to get too loud – who knew when one of them would get upset with me speaking? Mirajane looked around the room, spotted a wilting lily, and brought it over to me. I hold the pot in one hand, putting my other above the flower, and allow my magic to flow. A deep green magic circle appeared from my hand, "Nature Dragon: Restoration." The others in the room gasp as the lily starts to stand tall once more, with the colors being more vibrant as its health returns. A small smile graces my features for the first time in a while. I can feel the life of the small flower, and it is very calming for me. I am so entranced by the first feel of nature that I have had in years that I don't notice Laxus give Freed a look, and Freed leaving the room.

"That was wonderful, Abilene! I haven't seen the poor thing look so good since it was brought to us!" Mirajane gushed with a bright look in her eyes.

"Very impressive, little one." Laxus nuzzled me again. Just then it hit me. _I was able to use my magic._ I tense a little as I automatically look at my wrists and ankles, and feel my neck. There was nothing there, no suppression cuffs. I look around the room to see if there were any in the room and they were just waiting to see if they were needed before they put them back on me. "What is wrong, little one?"

"I could use my magic…" I whispered, not really believing it. "The cuffs are off. I can actually feel my magic. I, I can _feel the lily_."

"We took the damn things off of you before we brought you here. We didn't want you to be cut off from your magic any longer, and were hoping that it would help you heal. It has helped start the process, but it will still be a little while before you can do too much moving around." Laxus started to rub my back, trying to help me come to terms with this by keeping me calm.

"I'm really not there anymore? This isn't just a dream? Am I really free?" I look at my hands and the lily that I still hold. It feels so real, and I desperately do not want this to be all in my head. I don't think I could take it if I woke up back in that small cell, unable to feel the one thing that helped me connect to my mother. I hold the plant tighter at that thought until Laxus starts rubbing down my arms, making them loosen up.

"Don't worry, little one. You are not in that place anymore. None of them will ever touch you again. I swear it; they will have to go through me, and all of Fairy Tail. We will not let them get anywhere near you. You are safe now." Laxus stands up, still holding onto me, and brings me back to set me on the bed I woke up on. He puts his hands on my face, making me look him in the eye. "We will always protect you, ok?" I nod my head as tears enter my eyes. This made him give a small smile, and Mirajane let a large smile grace her face. She came closer to me and wrapped her arms around me in a hug, softly petting my hair as she lets me know how happy she is that I am with them now. After she lets me out of the hug, which I am shocked to realize I kind of miss, she stands straight again.

"Alright, now that you are a bit calmer, we need to check your bandages and get you dressed. Which mean, boys, you need to get out!" She pushes all of them out the door, each of them saying some form of curse words at her, before slamming the door shut as soon as they were in the hall. She turns back to me and gives me a sweet smile. "Now, don't worry, they won't leave. They haven't left your side for four days now; I doubt they would even let the thought cross their mind now that you are awake. Evergreen brought clothes for you, so let me get those and we can check the bandages and get you in some proper clothes."

"Four days? I was out that long?" I blinked up at her, not comprehending that I would have been unconscious that long. She nods at me as she grabs a bundle of cloth from the counter near where the lily had been set. She turns back to me, handing me the bundle.

"Yep. You were really hurt and malnourished, so it took a little while for your body to recover. Our guild master's friend is a healer and she looked at your injuries and treated them, and now all you need is rest to heal fully. Your magic seems to help as well, which makes sense as it is nature magic." She checks me over as she talks, replacing a few bandages on my arm and my side. She brings me to a small room on the side of the infirmary and helps me bathe and wash my hair, then leading me back out to the infirmary before pointing at the cloth she handed me. "Alright let's get that on you now." She had to help me, as it had been years since I wore actual clothes. During all of this, she and I talk a little more, and I find myself starting to really like her. She is so nice and calm; always notices when something makes me nervous and lets me take my own pace when talking. I come to know she has two siblings, a sister that has passed away who would have been the same age as me, sixteen, and a brother who was also a part of the guild. I was able to ask her about the mark on Bixlow's tongue, learning that it wasn't a brand, but a mark to show what mage guild he was a part of. She said that all mages who are affiliated with a guild have one, and that I would be able to get one too if I wanted to become part of the guild. Once I was dressed fully in a flowing forest green dress, white sandals and a white belt to go under my bust, Mira led me out of the infirmary. When those waiting in the hallway saw me, they each made some nice comment about how I looked. Evergreen, or Ever as she said I could call her, was the one who fussed the most, hugging me tightly to her as she went on and on about how cute she thought I was and how she couldn't wait to take me shopping, whatever that was.

"Alright, Ever, calm down. No need to freak out. Let her breathe." Bix laughed, pulling me away from the slightly crazed woman. She pouted a little, claiming she was just happy to have someone to take with her. I shook my head a little before walking to Laxus and handing him his coat. Mira had told me how it was the only thing that covered me, and that he made sure it was near me at all times because it had his scent which he knew would help me rest peacefully while I was out.

"Thank you for giving this to me to cover me. Mira told me that you made sure I had it by me so I had your scent and it really helped." I smiled at him and hugged him when he took it back, patting my head.

"No problem, little one. I know you just woke up today, but we have to go see Gramps and let him know you are doing ok. Can you walk that far, or would you like one of us to carry you?" Laxus looks at me, trying to see if I show any signs of not being able to stand.

"I am still trying to build up the muscles in my legs once more, but I should be able to make it. I was always made to make sure I could move by myself when I was at that place, so it is not as bad as it could have been. But, Laxus, who is Gramps?" I tilt my head at him. I have heard him say that name, but not who it actually was.

"That is what many of the Fairy Tail wizards call the guild's master. He is biologically Laxus' grandfather, but because he sees the entire guild as family, many have taken to calling him Gramps." Mira explains as we start to walk down the hall slowly. I nod my head in understanding as we get to a door that Laxus opens and walks right in. Mira smiles and giggles, following him while leading me in. The rest of our little group falls in behind us until we are all in the room. Looking around I see walls of books and piles of papers everywhere. A large desk is in the center of the room, and that is when I notice a small man on top of it, a large smile on his face as he looks at me.

"So you must be the child my grandson and his team brought home. It is nice to meet you, my dear. I am Fairy Tail's guild Master Makarov. Welcome. May I ask what your name and age are, child?" the man speaks in a kind voice that makes me automatically want to trust him.

"Abilene Briar, and I am sixteen, sir." I grab onto Laxus' arm, still not used to people looking directly at me. All of the occupants of the room, except Mira who already knew my age, seemed a bit shocked by that revelation.

"So young to have already been through so much. Do not fret child, here you will be safe, loved and well cared for. If there is anything you ever need, just ask. Now, my dear, what is your magic?" Makarov leans forward a little while tilting his head.

"Um, I am a Nature Dragon Slayer, sir."

"WHAT?!" the old man falls off his desk in shock. I am torn between going to see if he is ok, or staying far away. It doesn't sound like he was too pleased to hear of my magic…

"Hey. He isn't upset. Opposite actually, because this means Fairy Tail has three Dragon Slayers now. He is just excited." Laxus pats my head noticing my unease. I look at him and nod.

"Of course, I am happy! Young lady, you would be a wonderful asset to our guild. Not to mention, it seems like some of my children have already taken to you, and you to them. So what do you say, Abilene? Would you like to make a home here? Will you join Fairy Tail?" the old man had by this time picked himself off the floor and now was standing in front of me smiling. My eyes widen. A home? They are willing to not only let me join, but call this home? A few tears leak out of the corner of my eyes and I nod at him. His grin gets bigger as he grabs a giant stamp from his desk and brings it towards me. "Wonderful! Where would you like your guild mark and what color, child?"

"Um, green for the color? Where do people normally get their marks?" I start to slightly shake, worrying that it may hurt and if I stall maybe I can find a way to not let it hurt. Laxus once again pats me on the head and starts lifting up his shirt.

"Everyone tends to get them in different places. I have mine here, on my lower stomach. You've seen Bix has his on his tongue. Ever's mark is on the front of her shoulder. Freed's is on his hand. Before you freak out too much, it doesn't hurt, just a tingling feeling as it magically notes you as a member of the guild." He drops his shirt once he finished talking. I tilted my head thinking about where I would get it when it hit me.

"I would like mine there too, please." I point at the spot where Laxus had his. The master giggled a little, saying something under his breath about how cute I was or something, and once I lifted my shirt enough he pressed the stamp into the spot I indicated. Like Laxus said, I felt a tingling sensation where it touched my skin, and when master removed it, a deep green Fairy Tail mark was left.

"Well, child, there you are. Welcome to your new home!"

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" everyone in the room smiled at me, even Laxus gave a small grin. I don't think I have been this happy for so long. I can't wait to start to actually live my life with these wonderful people.

"Thank you!" I feel a wide smile form on my face, and I know I couldn't have been saved by better people.


	5. Chapter 4 - New Friends, New Family

**A/N: I am so sorry it has taken so long for an update! To say things have been hectic would be an understatement! I want to say thank you to those of you who have followed my story! It really means a lot! If there is any constructive criticism, I would definitely be willing to hear it and take it into account. Hope you all enjoy the new chapter!**

After I had received my mark, the master said it was time to be introduced to the rest of the guild. I was not particularly excited for this, but Laxus pushed me out the door ahead of him. I made a low whining noise in my throat and he responded with a small chuckle.

"It won't be too bad. If anyone tries to hurt you, or gets too close, go ahead and beat the crap out of them. If you freeze, I will. No one will hurt you anymore, little one. Promise." He rubs the top of my head as he says this and I calm down. I keep forgetting I can use my magic again. It will be nice to be able to use it…

"Yes, child, you have no need to worry. No one here will hurt you on purpose." Master piped up from in front of us.

"Just be careful because there do tend to be a lot of brawls in the guild hall. Oh, and parties! Fairy Tail loves to party." Mira smiled at me as she says this, like it is completely normal. Though from what she says, it is normal for them. _But brawls? Really?_

"That is definitely true. The brutes of the guild decide they want to see who can beat who the fastest, then the entire guild gets roped into it. It is _so_ not classy." Ever opens her fan and covers the lover part of her face. "So as a lady, I take it upon myself to show them how to be refined beings."

"You mean you just enter in the fights just as quick as everyone else." Bix grinned at her and dodged when she tried to hit him with her fan. After a few failed attempts, she huffs and turns away from him. I just giggle at them, never having dreamed that I would find so much joy somewhere again. I am so happy that these are the people who found and rescued me. I get a smile in return for the giggle, and Ever hugs me again. We continue to walk down the hall, passed the infirmary, and to a large open area overlooking the bottom floor of the guild. Even before we got to this area the noise from the rest of the guild could be heard. Standing a little behind the railing, peeking from behind Laxus, the noise was deafening. Everyone down in the main hall was in a fight, using both magic and fists. It was hectic, but also looked a little fun. One group of people in particular stood out in this fight. A young man, probably close to my age, with bright pink hair and flaming fists was duking it out with another young man, this one with dark hair and clad only in his underwear, who was using ice magic.

"Bring it, flame brain!" the dark haired man yelled, sending a torrent of ice magic at the pinkette.

"What did you call me, ice princess?!" the pinkette retaliated by melting all of the ice that was sent at him before sending a flame covered fist towards the dark haired man.

"Looks like Natsu and Gray are at it again…" Laxus sighed at the sight.

"And drug the whole guild into their fight, per usual. Though I wish Gray would put his clothes back on." Ever shook her head before turning to me. "This is the kind of thing we were warning you about. This is one of the daily brawls, started by the usual two idiots of the guild, Natsu and Gray. They tend to go at it quite often, though they are on the same team and are actually pretty good friends."

"Oh, and there goes Erza." Bix pointed at a woman with scarlet hair who looked extremely angry. She picked up a table and threw it at someone else, screaming something about cake? Ok, then. As they were telling me all of this, Mira wandered down the stairs towards the bar. Because she was one of the few people in the guild I know, I kept an eye on her as she walked. She made me feel safe, like Laxus did, and that meant I wanted to know where she was and if she was ok at all times. As she was walking I saw something flying in her direction. Knowing that she was strong from the way Freed and Bixlow described her, I expected her to knock it away from her. Nope. She got hit. This made me freeze, worried, as I saw more and more things go flying. _Oh no, what if they hit her? She could get really hurt! What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?!_ Vines shot up wrapping around everything that was headed her way, and elevating her off the floor. The sudden use of magic that the guild was unused to caused everyone to stop and go on alert. I made the vines bring Mira back up to us as I shrunk back to hide behind Laxus. I released the magic once I knew Mira was safe.

"What the hell was that?! Who is here? Bring it on!" the loud voice of the pinkette had me huddling closer behind Laxus. More voices join his, all saying similar things. _I shouldn't have done that. Now they will hate me. They will think I'm an enemy. Oh no, what if they chase me out? What will I do then? I don't want to leave Laxus and Mira and the master!_ I clutch the back of Laxus' shirt as my thoughts run wild.

"SHUT UP YOU BRATS!" Master jumped onto the railing and gave them all a stern look. "We have a new member and you are making her nervous! She has had a rough time, so I ask that you all be courteous to her, and NOT bring her right into your fights. Let her get used to the way the guild works."

"But, Gramps, what was that magic just now?" the pinkette yelled, getting a few murmured agreements.

"Idiot. Didn't you just hear Master say we have a new member? It was probably her!" the voice of the dark haired man piped up.

"That is right, Gray. As I said, she came from a rough situation, and the fighting made her nervous. She was worried about Mirajane's safety and reacted accordingly. So I do not want anyone giving her any trouble over it, understood?"

"Of course, Master. When will we be able to meet her?" A low feminine voice spoke up, asking what many of the guild were wondering. Master looked back, seeing my eye from behind Laxus' arm.

"Well, child? Are you ready to meet the rest of your family?" he smiled at me, trying to help me stay calm.

"Come on, little one. You will be fine. We are right here, ok?" Laxus' deep voice calmed me down further. I poked my head a little farther around his arm, trying to see just how many people were there. I could only see some, but I could hear so many more. So many whispers about me. Wondering where I came from, how old I was, what my magic was, if I was nice. That was not what I was expecting to hear. I was thinking they were all going to be angry. I looked over at Mira, noticing that she had woken up and was coming closer to me. She pulled me into a hug.

"Laxus is right, Abilene. We are right here with you. We won't leave you, we promise." She releases me, smiling. She gave me a slight push out from behind Laxus. "So go ahead and introduce yourself." At her insistence, I slowly walk towards Master, who is still standing on the railing, and look at him. He smiles at me reassuringly. Looking out over the railing, i am able to see just how many people are down in the guild hall. I tried to hide myself behind Master, but due to our size difference, it didn't work too well for me.

"It is alright, child. They will not harm you. Go ahead and introduce yourself." Master smiled over his shoulder at me. I moved slightly to be next to him again and played with my fingers as saw people staring.

"Um, my name is Abilene Briar. I hope we can all get along." I ducked back behind Master again as people started talking all at once.

"Be quiet! All of you at once won't help anything. If you have a question, say it, but don't all go at the same time." Laxus huffed from right behind me. He must have moved closer, knowing that it would help keep me calm.

"How old are you?" the red haired woman that yelled about cake was the one to speak up first.

"Um, I am sixteen."

"Why are you so shy?" another voice yelled up.

"That is insensitive!" the red haired woman hit them over the head. "You do not have to answer that. I am sure that with time, you will come to be able to relax here. As I am sure you have been told, we are a family here, and we look after each other." I nod at her. Even though she seems a bit violent, she also seems really nice. I hope we get along.

"What brought you to Fairy Tail?" a pretty woman with dark green hair spoke up next.

"Laxus." a light hearted laugh brushed through the room at this. I just tilted my head, wondering what was so funny.

"Well, that is true, but not what they mean, Abilene." Mira smiled at me before looking out at the rest of the guild. "That for now is all you will hear on this, until the time she is ready to speak of it."

"Was that you that was brought up to the infirmary a couple days ago?" a white haired male spoke up.

"Yes." I look at my feet at this. I do not like where this is heading. Is this what Mira was trying to stop?

"Are you alright now?" a small girl with blue hair and wide eyes looked up at me. I just nod in response. "Oh, that's good! I'm glad!" She smiled at me, which in return, made me smile a little bit.

"What happened?" at this question, all that happened flashed through my head. My eyes widened, my breathing started to pick up, my pulse began racing. _It's getting so hard to breath. I can't do this. Why is this happening? This is wrong. I should be fine. I am so scared. Where is mom? Where is Lilladrium? Why can't i see anything? What is going on? Caged. Need to get out. Need to hide. Need to be free from this. What is this?_ A shock went through my body, allowing me to breathe again. I looked around, noticing that I could see my surroundings once more. Laxus was hovering over me, worried. _Wait, how is he bending over me? Why am I lying down?_ Seeing my confusion, and hearing my breathing pick up again, Laxus lets out a small growl, instantly calming me. I let out a keening whine and he lifts me up to his lap and hugs me close.

"Wha-What happened?" I whispered, only him being able to hear me.

"A panic attack. It's ok, though. You are fine now. You gave everyone a scare though. Mira is right over there trying to keep everyone calm while we talk." I could kind of hear Mira's voice, but was still too nervous to focus enough to pay attention. Laxus, sensing this, gave another low growl, relaxing me more. "Are you feeling better now?" I nod at him, and he helps me stand. I look over toward where i had been standing just a little bit ago ( _When did they move me? How long was I like that?_ ) and saw Mira with her hands on her hips. I couldn't see her face, but if the looks on some of the other's faces is any indication, I am happy I can't. Laxus calls out to her softly, causing her to turn around and see me up. She quickly come over to me and hugs me to her.

"Are you ok? We were really worried for a minute there." I nodded the best I could with my face in her neck. "I gave the guild a stern talking to, so you don't have to worry about them. I told them not to bug you about any of that, and that when you were ready, if you wanted to, you would open up about what happened. Until then, they will not bug you about it. I promise."

"Thank you, Mira." I whispered to her, hugging her back tightly.

"Any time, sweetie. Now, let's get you some food, shall we? You haven't eaten since you got here. Come on." She took my hand a led me down the stairs towards the bar, Laxus following close behind with the rest of his team. On our way past some people, a guy with sandy colored hair stopped in front of us, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hi, I'm Max. I just wanted to say sorry for bringing up bad memories. I hope you can forgive me." He looked up from the floor at me, and I realized this was the one who asked me the question before I blanked out. I just nodded at him, not really wanting to speak right now. He gave a small smile and walked off, letting us continue our way to the bar. It was really quiet as we made our way over, and that made me nervous. _Like my nerves weren't bad enough already._ I shook my head a little to clear my thoughts, and just looked around a little. Many of the guild were trying (and failing) to look like they were not keeping an eye on me. Others were honestly just going back to their normal routine. Due to those few, more followed, until the guild was rowdy once more as we were seated at the bar counter. Mira went into a door behind the bar, and within minutes came out with a ton of food. Most of it I had seen before, but didn't know what it was called, or what it tasted like. She set a big bowl of greens in front of me (Salad), a giant slab of kind of meat on bread with cheese and other stuff (cheeseburger), and a glass of tea. Eating the wonderful food, and learning what it is from Laxus, I started getting more energy back. During this time, more of the guild came up to introduce themselves to me. I learned that the small girl with blue hair was named Levy and she was super nice. She said she would show me the library later and that it is a great place to get away if I ever want some peace from the guild. She was very enthusiastic about the library and books, so when i mentioned that I never really learned to read, she was surprised and then offered to teach me. That made me very excited, to the point where I hugged her before jumping away from her. When I did so, I realized our size wasn't that different, which was interesting in itself. I was still a little taller, but not much. After I had jumped away from her, she had reassured me that it was ok, and that she didn't mind. She was looking forward to getting to know me. The next person I formally met was the red haired woman, who also brought a few others to see me.

"My name is Erza Scarlet. Welcome to the Fairy Tail guild." She shook my hand as I returned her greeting. "We hope you enjoy it here, and if you ever need anything, all you need to do is ask." A blonde girl moves up from behind Erza.

"Hi! I'm Lucy. I'm pretty new to the guild too, so we can learn about it all together!" She smiled at me and I returned it. She seems to be a super happy person. If she can handle this and still smile like that, this has to be a good place, right? Her happiness is contagious, too. I feel a bit more relaxed around her, like I do with Levy. I really hope I can be friends with her. Next thing I know, the pink haired boy is in my face. This causes me to reflexively retaliate by pushing out with my magic causing vines to once again act on my behalf throwing him away from me. Next to me, Laxus starts laughing as I stare wide-eyed where the boy had been standing. Lucy giggles a little at my expression, and so does Erza. The dark haired boy, who introduced himself as Gray quickly, started laughing hysterically as well.

"What the hell was that?!" the pink haired boy sat up from the broken table he had landed on. Gray and Laxus continue to laugh as I start to get nervous. _What did I just do? I just attacked someone! A guild member! Oh my god, what is going to happen?_ During my little inner panic, Erza came a little closer to me and pat me on the shoulder.

"Do not worry. He gets that a lot." She smiled at me, nodding her head to the pinkette. "No one can fault you for doing that, either. He was right in your face, it is anyone's natural reaction to protect yourself from something like that."

"Yea, little one. Pinky deserves it anyways. He's annoying as hell." Laxus smirked over towards the boy who starts to fume.

"Shut it, Sparky!" he yells as he spouts flame from his mouth. This has me shocked, reminding me of a dragon. Laxus sees my surprise and turns to me, ignoring the boy and upsetting him further.

"Smell, little one. That will explain it all." I was confused, but did as I was told. Breathing in, there were a lot of scents around me. Two, though, stood out. One was my new brother, Laxus, but the other was from the boy in front of me. This startled me even more. As I am processing, Laxus says something to the pink haired boy, who stilled, doing the same thing as me. I am vaguely aware of the others by us just looking at us, trying to figure out what was going on. Well, they are not alone in that. Once I finally register what is going on, I turn to Laxus with wide eyes, silently asking if this were real. He just gives a small smile and nods. I whip my head back to the boy, who seems to have figured it out as well.

"No way! You are a Dragon Slayer, too?!" He shouts while pointing at me. I nod as the guild goes silent. "Whoa! What kind? Where is your dragon? Do you know where Igneel is? Have you met him? Wait, what's wrong?! Why are you crying?! I don't know what to do! LAXUS! What do I do?" As he is asking me all these questions, I had in fact started to cry. Not because of anything he did, but because I realized that if he was asking about his dragon, he wouldn't know where mine went. He starts waving his arms around, freaking out because I was crying.

"It's nothing. Lilladrium, the nature dragon, was my foster mother. She disappeared when I was six, in the year X777. I did not know Igneel, though Lilladrium spoke highly of him from the little I remember. I do not know where they are either." I couldn't look at him as I spoke, but I heard him come closer, and I felt Laxus pull me close to him. "Also, my tears are not just sad. I have been alone for _so long_ and now there is not just one more, but _two_ more people like me and it is a little overwhelming." I tuck myself into Laxus a little, taking comfort in his presence.

"Oh! That makes sense! I didn't know anyone else had dragon slayer magic either! Wait….You said two others?" At this I gave the boy an odd look. _Does he really not scent that Laxus has Dragon Slayer magic? Can someone be that dense with a heightened sense of smell?_

"Natsu, you're an idiot." Laxus grumbled.

"What?! Why are you calling me an idiot now?!"

"Smell again. You know my scent now, so it should be easy to tell another." I look at the boy, Natsu, out of the corner of my eye and watch as he does as I say. He stands there looking puzzled for a little bit longer, before his eyes grow very wide and his jaw drops.

"WHAT?! SINCE WHEN, SPARKY?!" I giggled at the expressions he was making and at the smirk Laxus gave him. I then hear Master letting out a loud laugh at what was happening. Most of the guild was caught between looking at us, and wondering if the Master went off the deep end. Master started muttering things along the lines of other guild masters being jealous or something. Natsu started stuttering and stumbling with words, still wondering what exactly he had just found out.

"Shut up, flame brain. If you actually paid attention to the things around you it would have been obvious." Laxus rolled his eyes, still smirking.

"I see you told everyone what your magic is." Mira came back from the kitchen and placed more food in front of me as she smiled. I nod and smile at her, extremely happy for the first time in many years. During all of this, the guild had remained fairly quiet. All of a sudden, multiple people swarmed up by us, crowding around me, asking many questions and making me nervous. My breathing once again started to quicken, along with my pulse. I start curling into myself, trying to get space between me and all of the people. Erza noticed me going into the beginning of a panic attack again, and started yelling for them to back up and _throwing_ people out of the way if they didn't listen. Laxus was trying to get me to calm down, emitting that low growl, and Natsu was stuck between freaking out wondering what is wrong or punching people to get them away. Even Mira was glaring at people if they were starting to get too close again. Lucy and Levi both pushed their way through the crowd (that was thinning fairly quickly thanks to Erza and Natsu) to stand near me. Between the calming presence the two have, and Laxus being near me and calming me, I was able to settle myself down before it got into an attack like I had previously. Looking up, a lot of people were grumbling apologies and the small group that I was formally introduced to recently was looking at me in concern. This is not something I was used to, when I was captive, if something happened and we were left to our own devices and told not to die yet. There was no one who cared how I felt, or willing to push others away to keep me safe and calm. I hadn't felt this kind of emotion since Lilladrium had disappeared. It made me feel warm and comforted, and I smiled at them a little to let them know I was ok.

"Thank you." Looking at them, I know a couple of them were confused (*cough* Natsu *cough*), but all of them smiled back.

"It is no problem. After all, you are now our guildmate. This means you are family." Erza put her hand on my head, softly stroking my hair. I must have looked confused at the gesture because I heard Mira giggle and Laxus give a low chuckle as well.

"Yea! We are all friends now! So no matter what, we will be here for you!" Lucy grinned brighter, and Levy nodded her head. Gray could be seen nodding as well, once again having lost his shirt.

"That's right! Welcome to the family, Adilene!" Natsu smiled as the rest of the guild echoed his words. I could do nothing but smile at them all.

 _Do you hear this, Lilladrium? I wish you could have met these people. I think you would like them. Well, most of them. I can't believe this. I finally have a family!_


	6. Chapter 5 - Bonding With The Guild

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! I hope you all are liking this so far, and I do apologize for the awkward updating. Also, before this chapter gets started, I just want to cover something. I know some people may have an issue with how some of this goes in regards to Abilene's mental recovery. I know no one heals fast from this, and that there are multiple triggers with multiple results. Trauma is something that no one gets over quickly, no matter the level of it. Please understand that I do know this, and I am not trying to make it seem like she is healing right away with the limited time she has been with Fairy Tail, or that she is unfeeling about it anymore. There will be signs throughout that she has not completely healed, but I will not be making anything as obvious as I did in the last chapter. That is all I wanted to say. I hope you enjoy this!**

It has been a few weeks now that I have been with the guild. I was brought to Fairy Hills, which is the women's dorms for Fairy Tail members, shortly after the warm welcome I received from my new friends. I was given a room, and told that until I was ok to do missions and could earn money, my rent would be taken care of. That was wonderful because I had no money. I mean, one doesn't really get money when they are being sold to be used by their captors. So, yea, no money for me. On another note, I have been getting closer to Team Natsu, which is what Mira had dubbed the team made up of Lucy, Erza, Gray and, of course, Natsu. A couple of people had made comments on who would have called them the strongest team Fairy Tail has seen, causing Mira to cry as it was her that said this. At her tears, I retaliated by stringing up those who instigated this reaction to the rafters and leaving them there for a while until they were screaming their apologies to Mira. The idiots had deserved it; making Mira cry is definitely not okay with me. After this incident had happened and I was able to relax, I finally started talking to more of the guild. I got to be good friends with Levy and had also started to talk to a girl named Cana. She is interesting, at least when not completely drunk, though that can be amusing in its own way. Natsu has been one of the ones I have gotten the closest to, out of everyone. After we both found that we have the same magic, and were both raised by dragons, we just started to talk. During our many talks we became super close and the bond was created that made us kin, like what happened with Laxus.

Speaking of Laxus, he has been a constant support for me while I am at the guild hall, even making sure to only take short missions when Mira is at the guild so I have someone I am close to there at all times. While this means so much to me, I have learned enough about some of the workings of the guild to know that the short missions do not pay as well as the longer ones. With the entire Thunder Legion living in one house, I am sure they need more money than what they are getting from the short missions. Laxus keeps telling me that it's fine, they have enough saved up to cover what they don't make on these missions, but that doesn't exactly make me okay with it. I am currently trying to convince him it is ok to take longer missions now that I am getting used to more people at the guild.

"Laxus, I am telling you I will be fine! Mira is here, Natsu and his team are here, and Levy is here. I have plenty of people I can go to and that can help me if I need it." I sighed at him as he shakes his head.

"What happens if you have another panic attack like the last one? I don't want to leave you for too long." he grumbles. _I swear, this man is truly as stubborn as a dragon. And protective as one too. I am not as naive as I was when I first came here, and honestly this could do us both some good, if he would just stop being a brat about it all. I am sixteen for goodness sake, not six. Sure, I have only told Erza out of my new friends what happened, but everyone still is wonderful to me and won't let me be alone again._

"If that happens, I repeat, I have people here willing to help me. Levy has found ways to distract me, same with Lucy, and you have been letting Natsu hang around more so he also knows how to calm me down. Even Erza can get me to start to calm down." During a small pause as I catch my breath, I see that Laxus is about to try and say something against what I said. "Yes, you are right in saying that none have been able to calm me down as well as you have, and yes, I know that that makes you worry. What you have to realize, though, is that coddling me will not always help. I will always want you near me, especially as I try to get over what happened. You are my biggest support, my big brother, and I am so happy that you have saved me and protected me. I know you do this because you care. I need you to see that I care too, and that is why I am trying to get you to do a longer mission, for you and the rest of the Thunder Legion. So, please, will you listen to me?"

"Team Natsu is out, so there goes most of the people you said." He glowers at me a little as I sigh and roll my eyes when he says that. He sighs and lets up his expression a little. "You know I am right, little one. That leaves you with Mira, and the bookworm. Are you sure you would be okay with just the two of them here?" As I start to respond, I am interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. Jumping a little at the contact, as I am still not too used to people touching me other than Laxus, Mira and Erza, I look to see who the arm is attached to. Seeing a head of green hair, and knowing that Freed is upstairs with Ever and Bix, I know it can only be one person.

"Um, hi Bisca." I blinked up at her. She is one of the guild members that I have spoken to, but haven't gotten to know very well quite yet. _I wonder what she is doing. I mean, she seems nice, but why would she come over now?_ Little did I know that Laxus and I had been having our little disagreement loud enough most of the guild had been listening in.

"Hey there, Abilene. Now, Laxus, the girl is right. She worries just as much as you do, and don't try to deny that you do. Besides, we will all look after her, we are family. I know that she and I have not talked a lot, but we can easily fix that and then you will have another watching over her, okay? So listen to the girl so you can stop making her worry about you and your team." Bisca put her hand on her hip as she directs all of her attention to Laxus. I can feel my eyes widen as she talks. _Oh. So that answers my question._ I see Laxus thinking this over, looking between the two of us, so I put on my best 'I totally agree with what she is saying' face. It must have worked because I heard him let out a sigh.

"Fine, but if anything gets too bad, call my lacrima right away. If someone can't get her to calm down, call me, I will answer. Also, little one, if I call, I expect you to answer." He leveled a look at me as he says this. I just nod and grin. _Finally! I can't believe this worked!_

"Of course, everything will be fine. Now, go pick out a job with your team and if it's okay with her, I am going to take Abilene over to my table and start getting to know her better." Bisca smiled down at me and I smiled, nodding in response. I gave Laxus a hug before attempting to push him towards his team who were coming closer to us. It didn't work in my favor, as I ended up sliding back a little myself instead of budging him at all. He just laughs at me before ruffling my hair and going to the mission board. I follow Bisca to her table, while kind of watching Laxus out of the corner of my eye.

"You're going to miss him while he is gone, huh kiddo?" Bisca sits across from me, smiling gently.

"Yes, but I did mean what I said. The Thunder Legion can't keep sitting here coddling me, they need to be able to go do stuff to support themselves." I see Laxus and Freed talking to Mira, Laxus showing her the mission they chose and making gestures back towards me. Of course, the man has to make sure to repeat to Mira what he has told her every time he has left for a mission. I am honestly surprised she hasn't tossed something at him in annoyance, I would have.

"You really are a sweetie. Have you been getting on okay here? No one giving you too much trouble?" This sparked the start of our long conversation. The only time we weren't talking were when I waved goodbye to the Thunder Legion, when I was stuffing myself with Mira's delicious food, and when Bisca ended up slightly (* _cough_ * _very_ * _cough_ *) distracted by her partner, Alzack, which I teased her about once I had gotten more comfortable around her. We ended up talking all day, and walking back to Fairy Hills together. There, we ran into Cana, Levy and another girl with purple hair who gave off a familiar feeling. She and I were introduced right away. I learned that her name was Laki and that she practiced Wood-Make magic, which would be why I got a familiar feeling from her, as wood is part of nature. We all ended up having a makeshift sleepover in the common area of Fairy Hills. I say makeshift because of how we ended up. We each brought out many sheets, blankets and pillows and instead of just laying them on the floor, as I was later told was how sleepovers are normally done, we built a small fort using the furniture as our posts. It was a lot of fun, and the girls were happy to have shown me something I had never experienced before. I was also able to learn more about these girls and they about me, though not everything of course. I still wasn't ready for too many people to know about that. The next morning I was woken up to Mira giggling at us, with plates of food ready for our very hungry stomachs. After eating our fill, the five of us followed Mira back to the guild hall giggling and talking the whole way. It really is amazing to have so many nice people around me. I no longer really feel like I have to watch everything I do and say, that I will be hit if I make a mistake. _This is such a wonderful feeling. The sense of unity and love this place has is truly magnificent. I am so lucky to be able to be here, be a part of this._ I smiled to myself as Levy is being teased by Cana about her teammates, Jet and Droy, and the obvious attraction they have towards her. Laki saw me smiling and came closer to me, not quite touching as she knows I still have some issues with that, but close enough we can feel the other person's body heat.

"It's really good to see you smiling and happy. When you were first brought to the guild and everyone saw how injured you were, and how much the Thunder Legion was worried, the entire guild started to worry. Right then was the first moment everyone knew we were going to have a new member of our family and we all just were hoping for a fast recovery for you, even though we didn't know you yet." She faced forward the entire time she was speaking as I looked at her. "We could all tell that you would become someone who was good for the guild, a new pillar of light and love. You want to know how we knew this, even without meeting you yet? Because of how Laxus had been acting, and how much he changed after bringing you in. Before, he was always angry, mean and couldn't be bothered with most of the guild. He would only be around long enough to get a job, maybe pick on a few guild members, and then he and his team would leave again. All of them were similar in how they acted towards the guild, but it mainly stemmed from Laxus. So many of the guild used to be absolutely terrified of him." Seeing my look of shock, she let out a small laugh. "Yea, I know it is a vast difference from what you have seen, but that is my point. During the time you were in the infirmary, Laxus was a wreck. He was worried, and though he snapped a bit at people if they got too nosy, everyone could tell that it wasn't because he was truly mad. We all knew, that in the time he was around you, he started going back to how he used to be." The others all nodded in agreement.

"Yea, no kidding. He had been a real jerk. Calling me out on my drinking, making fun of Levy and her team, riling up Erza and Mira. It wasn't pretty." Cana scowled. "But then, like Laki said, you came. Sure, not in a good way, but still. He is a lot calmer, nicer even, than he has been. Not to mention, he has become super protective of you. Why is that by the way?" She looked over at me, a small frown still on her face, but curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Our dragons see each other as kin, so he sees me as a little sister. Same with me and Natsu, oddly enough. I never had met another Dragon Slayer where I was, so I didn't even know this was possible, but it really shouldn't surprise me. Lilladrium was always telling me how family is super important to a dragon, so it makes sense that that would be the case for those of us with dragonistic traits." the girls all nodded, agreeing that my explanation was the most likely case. We continued talking all the way to the guild hall, and even some more after we all were sitting. Bisca and Levy were always by me, making sure I was comfortable and that no one was getting closer than necessary. During one of our little group's random discussions, this one about different places the girls had been for jobs, the door to the guild burst open and Team Natsu and Gramps walked in. Gramps is what Master Makarov had asked me to call him as he had seen that calling him master was uncomfortable for me. He also says that seeing as Laxus is my brother, that really makes him my gramps anyways, so I should call him such and I happily agreed.

"Hey, everyone! We're home!" Natsu yelled as soon as he got in the door.

"Welcome back How was your trip? And how was the council meeting, Master?" Mira calmly walks up to them, smiling as usual. At her questions, Gramps seemed to deflate a little. Natsu just starts laughing.

"It was awesome! We took down a dark guild, and a giant tree monster thing!" The grin on Natsu's face just got wider the more he spoke.

"Aye, sir!" Happy, Natsu's little blue cat friend who is never far from said boy, piped up.

"Yea, during which part of a train station, the place where the guild masters were meeting, and part of a mountain were destroyed." Lucy sighed. I blinked at that. _I had heard that Natsu and them could be destructive, but I never thought it was that bad._ '

"Hey! The mountain was the monster, not us!" Natsu pointed at Lucy, slightly offended.

"We are still getting blamed!" She shouted in his face and hitting him, making him fly into the wall. I get up and go up to the group by the door.

"Um, I take it by your reaction, it was mainly Natsu's fault?" I look at Lucy, and she just sighs and nods.

"Though he did have help." She gives a dark look out of the corner of her eyes to Gray and Erza, making me giggle a little. "I really shouldn't be surprised. When I first met Natsu before I joined the guild, he destroyed part of the town of Hargeon and we left the town being chased by Rune Knights."

"Whoa, really? Is being destructive part of this guilds nature or something?" I asked thinking back to when I was told how Laxus destroyed the lodge he and the Thunder Legion found me in. Lucy nods and Mira giggles.

"Yes, it does seem that way, doesn't it. Though I think that just makes it more fun, don't you?" Mira smiles around at the guild. Over hearing the last bit of conversation, Bisca comes over.

"Though not all of us destroy towns and cause problems. Just most of the guild. You should have heard the list of complaints from the Magic Council we had received not that long ago. They really have a thing against us because most of the time even Makarov doesn't listen to them. He seems kinda out of it right now though, what happened?" We both looked towards the diminutive man seeing him still not fully aware of his surroundings.

"He became like this after we saw that the building all the masters were at was demolished. It really didn't help that Natsu just laughed and Erza shook him while trying to help him." We all shook our heads at that. Within a little bit, Gramps was fine again and drinking with one of the older guild members, Macao I think his name was. His son, Romeo, was talking to Natsu with a look of hero worship in his eyes. Erza was off eating cake, Gray was trying to instigate a fight with Natsu, and Lucy came to join the group of girls that we had accumulated. We all sat and talked for a few hours. This ended up becoming a kind of routine for us, and I was able to get closer to some more of the girls, mainly Laki and Bisca. Bisca really became someone I could go to if I started feeling upset or anything. With her, Erza and Mirajane around making sure I was comfortable where I was, I only had one panic attack before Laxus and the Thunder Legion returned. Learning this, Laxus seemed more willing to relax and go on more missions, and he even took me on a couple of the easier ones. Currently, though, he was home and I was sitting with him and Bix, who I was spying on Freed and Mira with as Laxus shook his head at us. Bix was the one keeping eyes on them, and I had mine closed listening to what they were saying.

"He totally looks like he is shaking. What is going on down there, Little Dragon?" Bix asked while quietly giggling. I huffed a small laugh, smirking.

"Oh, he is totally getting tongue tied down there. Even just trying to order a drink he gets so nervous. Why didn't you guys tell me before this that he was interested in Mira?" I peeked out of the corner of my eye at my dearest big brother.

"You weren't ready for that kind of talk and I don't tend to bother with that stuff anyway. But after being around the women of this guild, you seem to get way too excited about this." Laxus rolled his eyes at me. "It's good that you are able to enjoy stuff like this, though." Knowing that he was trying to say that he is happy I am feeling better in his own awkward way, I smiled at him in thanks. Bixlow starts tapping my arm repeatedly in excitement.

"Hey! What is he saying now? He turned really red!"

"He just tried to ask her to dinner, I think, but his words were super jumbled and Mira is totally confused."

"Aw, damn. I thought he was finally growing a pair." Bix slouched in his seat and grumbled.

"Freed has been pining over Mira for years. Did you really expect anything different at this stage?" Laxus quirked an eye at his overreacting teammate. Said teammate stuck his tongue out at the lightning mage, showing off his guild mark and yelping in pain at the shock he received in retaliation. I giggled at them before taking the headphones that Laxus had bought me out of my pocket and slipped them on, seeing Laxus do the same out the corner of my eye before I close them. I ended up dozing off, waking to a commotion in the guild.

"What is going on?" I rub my eyes and look to Laxus for answers.

"Natsu took an S-Class job from the board up here. No one noticed it until now, so the old man is trying to get someone to go after them since Erza isn't here to do it." He did not seem too thrilled about this. _Good lord, Natsu. Really? Even I know that is a really bad idea and I haven't even been here long._

"I'll do it, Gramps. Flame Brain has really lost it this time, huh? Not to mention dragging Lucy into it." Gray sighed and shook his head. Gramps, after a bit more conversation, sent him on his way to stop Natsu and Lucy at Hargeon.

"Well, with all of that taken care of, what do you say about going on a job of our own, boss man?" Bix looked over at Laxus.

"Sure. Find Ever, I will look at jobs and we can meet up with Freed right where he is. You ok with this, little one?" I just roll my eyes and nod. "Alright. You know by now, but if you need anything call on the communications lacrima. We might take one that is a bit longer, but we will find our way back if you need us to."

"Okay, okay, go choose a job! I'm going to go find Levy." I get up and walk down the stairs to the main part of the hall. Looking around, I don't see Levy anywhere so I go to check the library. Waving goodbye at the Thunder Legion as they leave, Freed still red in the face, I meander my way into the library. After spending a decent amount of time in here with Levy as she taught me to read, I knew all of her favorite spots. Finding her in on of the more remote corners surrounded by books, I find one and join her. We sit and read for a while in silence before my stomach decided it was going to make monster noises. When she is brought out of her own little world by the sound, Levy giggles at me, causing my face to redden.

"A bit hungry are we?"

"According to my stomach, yes." I laugh with her. "I haven't really eaten since this morning, so it really is no surprise." Just then, Levy's stomach made a noise as well, making us laugh a bit more.

"Apparently, mine agrees! Let's go grab some food." We both get up and go to Mira to order our food. Mira has it all up and ready for us quickly, and we sit down next to her teammates to eat. During this, we just talk about what we were reading and how we had been. I repeat this pattern with Levy for the next two days. On the third day, we walk into the guild together from Fairy Hills and hear Gramps muttering angrily.

"Uh, what's going on?" Levy looked around at the guild, waiting for someone to answer her.

"Gray is a moron, too. He went with Natsu and Lucy instead of bringing them back, so yesterday Erza went after them. They are on the way back now, but Master isn't happy. They are going to be in a lot of trouble when they get back." Max shook his head, wondering at the stupidity of our guildmates.

"At least they are coming home, which means none of them are terribly hurt." _Though, I do know some plants that can help with pain, so if they are hurting I could grow some. They taste terrible, so I may just give them to Natsu as punishment of my own. He is such an idiot._

"That is true! They may not have done the right thing, or the smart thing, but that is the way of our guild sadly." Levy smiled slightly. We left Max a little while later and went to get food from Mira. Cana and Bisca both joined us, the former being part way into her third barrel of booze already. We spend the day chatting, talking about the different types of magic we know of, and about our favorite foods and similar things. I was able to learn a lot and say some about magic, though I couldn't contribute to much of the last part of the conversation. Where I was kept, we experienced many types of magic, but only were given bread and water as sustenance. So my favorite foods were any that Mira made me. Laxus cooked sometimes too, and he wasn't bad, but no one could beat Mira. Speaking of Mira, I could see her making her way over to where we were.

"How is everything going ladies?" we all gave her a smile, complimenting the cooking that she does. She giggles in appreciation. "I'm happy to hear it! Abilene, Elfman and I had a question for you. Did you want to come over to our place tonight? We have all been busy and haven't had a chance to spend time together lately." Knowing I didn't have any other plans, especially with Laxus out on a mission and team Natsu not home yet, I quickly agreed. We talked and she let me know that I can follow her home once she is done working at the bar for the night. I stay with the girls and we all talk more throughout the day, teasing each other. I honestly can't believe how much I have been able to learn being here, even though it hasn't been long. Eventually the guild gets to be its rowdy self, with many people drinking and just having fun. _Thankfully, without Natsu and Gray, it tends to be calmer and most won't start a fight._ Of course, thinking that I jinxed the peace. Alzack, who somehow got fairly drunk, thought he saw someone checking out Bisca and got angry, throwing out random accusations. Elfman, loving a chance to show off his strength, starts to go on about how it isn't manly to do that, starting the chain reaction brawl that occurred. Someone threw something at Elfman, who threw it back in the direction it came from, hitting someone else, who then tried to go after Elf, but hitting Max instead. Then it spiraled out of control from there. Now, I will not say I was innocent by any means. I just never got caught fuling the fight, except for by Levy who was right next to me and could see what I was doing. _I'm not sure if Laxus will be proud or scared to know that I actually helped in a guild brawl for once. Eh, probably proud. Natsu sure will be, and Erza!_ If you are wondering how I was 'helping' the fight, I was using my vines to make more things go flying from certain points of the room, making it look like someone threw them and wanted to fight with whomever it hit. It was wonderful. Soon enough, most of the guild was either too drunk to continue, or knocked out, so the fight was finished. Some of the girls and I helped Mira to pick up the broken stuff and move some guildmates to their still awake and functional friends to get them home. Mira and I both supported Elfman as we made our way to the Strauss residence. Once we got in and got him to bed, Mira and I sat in the living room to talk.

"So how have you been? Has everyone been treating you ok? I see the girls have really taken to you!" Mira sat closer to me, hugging me to her. I snuggled into her, feeling a warmth that I haven't truly been able to feel since Lilladrium left.

"I have been ok. Only a couple of minor panic attacks that either you or Bisca were able to snap me out of. Some people that I don't know still get a little close and it makes me freak out. The girls are amazing. They really help to make sure I am comfortable and that no one touches me suddenly or anything." I start to get drowsy as she pets my hair softly.

"Still can't get too close to many of the guys?"

"Not really, though thanks to Bisca, I can handle Alzack a bit. Loke is driving me nuts, always trying to get really close to me. I mean, I know that it seems to be his thing, but if he doesn't stop, I am not even going to attempt to make Laxus leave him alone." At that Mira let out a giggle. "The rest, while I am slowly getting to know them better, it just reminds me of what happened when they touch me."

"Oh, sweetie. I am so sorry. I just want you to know that I am always here for you, and so is Elfman. I know that you haven't had a true family in a very long time, but you can count on us to be that family." I just smile, nod a little and hug her back because no words are needed. She has become family, both her and Elfman. Being with them and the guild, I have become so happy, and I am on my way to getting better. _I am so thankful. Even before Lilladrium left, I was never this close to any humans, and now I have so many. I love them all, and I will do all I can to protect them._

 ** _A/N: I know, another author's note. I just wanted to apologize for this being a lot of filler, but I needed to cut what I wanted to write in half, or it would have been way too long. The next one will get to more important content (not that bonds are not). Hope you all enjoyed this either way! :)_**


	7. Chapter 6 - An Attack and War Begins

**A/N: Hello again! Thank you to those who are following and favoriting this story! It means a lot to me! I am sorry for this chapter being so late, life can get in the way sometimes. Now, without further ado, here is the next chapter!**

I was woken by someone saying my name and shaking my shoulder. Opening my eyes a little, I see the blurry form of Mira hovering over me and I just close my eyes again. _Whatever time it is, it is too early._ Mira just giggles at me as I cover my eyes with my arm.

"Come on, Abilene, it is time to wake up. We have to get to the guild so I can open up." Mira speaks softly while shaking my shoulder again. I just groan in response. "If you get up, I have your favorite." At this, I peek through one of my eyes at her.

"Pancakes?" _I will gladly get up for pancakes. I would_ _ **kill**_ _for Mira's pancakes._

"Pancakes." She smiles at me and giggles a bit more, knowing that she had me now. You know how Erza is with strawberry cake? That is me with pancakes, ever since Mira first made them for me. I jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen table to patiently wait for the deliciousness that is pancakes. As Mira cooks for me, and I stuff my face with the fluffy goodness, I start getting a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. _Something feels wrong...I don't know what though. It feels like something big is going to happen._ Mira seems to notice something is up. "What's wrong, Abilene? Are you ok?"

"Yea, it just feels like something is wrong…" I frown a little.

"Well, maybe it was a dream that you can't remember?"  
"Maybe…"

"Why don't we go to the guild. I have to open up, and being there seems to keep you calmer." I just nod my head, finish off my pancakes, and get dressed in some of the clothes I keep at the Strauss home. Once we are both ready, we head to the guild hall. As I look at the sky, I see that it is barely light out, meaning it is still very early. _Maybe Mira is right and it was just a dream. I just can't seem to get rid of this feeling, though._ We keep walking and turn onto the street where the guild hall is located. As soon as we see it, we let out a gasp and run to the front door. Or, I should say, what is left of it. _No. This can't be happening. No. Nonononono. NO!_ The entire guild building was run through with what looked like metal poles. They were everywhere, coming out of the rubble that is now the guild hall. My brain starts to shut down, I barely hear Mira talking on the communication lacrima, probably to Gramps, and I start to walk to the barely standing doors. I wrestle them open and walk in, ignoring Mira's calls to me. I look around at all the damage, and I start to shake. All around me is a familiar scent.

"Dragon slayer magic…" I speak softly. Mira, who had come up beside me looks to me in shock.

"Are you certain?" Her eyes had become extremely serious as I nod at her. "Alright. Master is setting about contacting everyone, so let's see if the basement is still intact so we have a place to gather before we do repairs." We go check and once it is determined that it can be used as a temporary base of actions, we go get some stuff and bring it downstairs, like the mission papers, and some food and drinks. We set up as much as we can until people start to trickle in, many being upset. I see Bisca come in, and she quickly comes up to me and gives me a hug. I return it, smiling sadly at her. Soon, most of the guild has gathered, and I was being touched by too many people. I tried to find Mira as my breathing started to pick up, and my heart started to race. _Too many people. Not enough space. Mira. I need Mira. Who just touched me?_ My vision starts to recede a bit, and it just makes me panic more. _Too close. Too many hands. Can't breath. Need space. Too dark. Can't see. Not safe. NOT SAFE!_ The last thing I realize is that I had found a corner and that was were I stayed as I lost myself to the panic attack.

Many of the guild witness the newest member crumple in on herself, hands clutching at her head as she looked around without really seeing. A few who were close enough could hear her muttering, but were unable to make out the words. Suddenly, she stands up and wildly looks around, like she is searching for someone. Bisca approaches Abilene, seeing that the girl was panicking, and starts to reach for her shoulder, hoping to break her out of it before she gets too far in the panic. As she was about to reach her, someone else got bumped and knocked into the girl, causing her to panic more and bump into someone else. This continues until she was next to the wall, which she then followed to a corner that she huddled in. Quite a few members are worried about the girl, and a couple are about to go up to her to try to help, but Mirajane beats them to it.

"Abilene, come on sweetie. Come back to us okay? You are far enough away from people you don't know, and no one will get too close, so you can calm down. The guild will be repaired, and everyone is alright. So, please, calm down." Mira strokes her hair and keeps talking to her, but nothing seems to be working. She just digs her fingers into her arms, causing the skin to break. Makarov comes over and sits on the boxes next to where Abilene is huddled.

"Mirajane, try calling Laxus." The white haired mage goes to grab the communications lacrima to do just that. "Listen up, everyone. Until we can get her to calm down, I do not want anyone to get too close to her. Only Mira, Bisca and Levy should even attempt. In this stage of panic, it is likely her magic will react before she will. So please, heed what I say." Mira came back just then.

"I didn't get an answer, Master. I will try again in a little bit." She spoke so softly that Makarov barely heard her. She didn't take her eyes off of the young girl who, even though she came to the guild recently, became someone so important to her. Seeing her hurting so badly, with there being nothing Mira could do to help this time, made the mage so sad and angry all at the same time. Sad because no one likes to see their family hurting, and angry that the girl had to live through something that traumatized her so badly based on someone's sick fantasies. Mira did not understand how people could be so cruel, especially to children.

"Alright, thank you my dear. Could I have you please get me a drink?" Makarov sees the woman nod and go do what he asks. He sighs, knowing that the trouble was only beginning. A few hours and many drinks later a new issue arose. Mira, who had gone out to see what the commotion outside had been, came back with Team Natsu in tow.

"What the hell happened here?!" Natsu yelled out.

"Hello! Welcome home!" Makarov cheerfully (and drunkenly) waved at the returning members.

"What are you doing, Gramps! This is no time to be drinking!" Natsu growled in frustration.

"Oh! That's right! You guys stole an S-Class Quest and caused a lot of problems! It is time… for your PUNISHMENT!" Makarov then proceeded to hit Natsu, Gray and Happy on the head, and then spanking Lucy.

"Master! Stop!" Mira scolded the elderly man, hands on hips.

"What the hell, Gramps! Do you not see our guild is destroyed?!" Natsu could not understand why the master was being so carefree about their home being in ruins. Makarov just scoffs.

"It is nothing to worry about. The guild hall can be rebuilt. This is all that Phantom Lord can do, the cowards. So no, brats, we will not be launching a return strike." The master just growls a little, thinking on the attack to the guild hall, "Che. Cowards. Attacking an empty guild."

"Empty?" Erza stepped forward.

"Yes, the attack happened late last night after everyone had gone home. Abilene and I found it this way this morning." Mira spoke softly, looking towards Natsu. "Speaking of -"

"Hey, where is Abilene anyway?" Natsu interrupted the woman, earning himself a smack on the head from Erza.

"Natsu, she had a panic attack, and she is not in good shape. We can't get her out of it…"

"What?! Where is she?" Mira led the boy to the corner where she was and when he saw the girl, his heart constricted. He had never seen her so bad. Her nails were making scratch marks down her face and arms, her breathing was erratic, and her heartbeat was going way too fast. He could see that her eyes were open, but they were not seeing anything in front of her. He quickly went to her side. "Hey, Abilene. It's Natsu. I'm back, with Lucy, Gray, Erza and Happy, too. Can you come back to us, let us show you that we are home and everything is ok?" The girl doesn't seem to give much of a reaction to his words, but he sees her hands start to slow down the scratching a little bit. He then let out a low rumbling noise, instantly stilling her hands.

"What is he doing? What was that noise?" Lucy looked to Erza and Mira, the two that were closest to her.

"He is appealing to her dragon to get her calm, something that only he and Laxus can do. Remember Laxus would do the same thing?" The white-haired woman answered while wringing her hands. Natsu just makes the noise again, watching as Abilene slowly calms down more hearing the comforting tones from her kin. After a few minutes, which felt like hours to bystanders, everyone saw light and recognition coming to the girl's eyes. She blinked a few times before focusing on Natsu, who was right in front of her.

"N-natsu?"

A low keening noise came from my throat in response to the soft noise coming from the pinkette in front of me. He quickly grabs me from my spot on the floor ( _When did I get on the floor?_ ) and brings me into a hug on his lap. I hug him back as I sit there, looking around while slowly getting my bearings back.

"You doing ok now?" Natsu pulls away just enough so he can look at me.

"Yea, what happened?" I blink in confusion. "All I remember is coming to the guild hall this morning with Mira, after that, I remember the scent of another dragon and metal, then nothing."

"You had a panic attack, Abilene. One of the worst you've had in a while. Natsu coming home was the only thing able to pull you out of it." Mira looked so distraught. I reached out my hand to her, squeezing hers in mine when she grasped it. This made me worried, because what could have been so bad that I would regress? The question must have been apparent on my face as Natsu hugged me tighter before responding.

"The guild was attacked. By Phantom Lord. They are a guild that is bordering becoming a dark guild. They have a guy named Black Steel Gajeel who, from what Gramps has said, is a dragon slayer like us. He was the one to do the damage to the guild." Natsu growls out the explanation, and I am able to remember the sight of metal rods sticking out of the guild. I start to get angry, feeding off of Natsu's anger. _Who do they think they are? Why would they do this?_

"Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail have long had a feud, but neither has attacked each other or instigated a war between guilds as that is not allowed by the Magic Council. Which is why we will NOT be retaliating, no matter how many of you say that we should. Now, with this, even though it was only the guild hall that was harmed, I do not want anyone to go out alone, and none should stay alone tonight. No arguments." Gramps looked out at everyone from his spot on the boxes next to me. No one argued, and everyone started talking to see who would stay with who.

"Come on, Abilene. You can stay with us tonight! We will have a giant sleepover at Lucy's!" Natsu picked me up and started running out of the guild hall.

"Natsu! I at least need to get clothes and let Mira know where I am going to be!" I yell at him, causing him to skid around a corner, now towards Mira's house. We get there and I grab some clothes and leave Mira a note. As soon as I set the note down, I am pulled out of the house by Natsu as he leads me to Lucy's apartment. We get to the building it is in and I can tell that Lucy wasn't home yet. "Um, if Lucy isn't here, how are we supposed to get in?"

"Easy, come on!" Natsu then picks me up again and jumps up to a window.

"Um, what are you- Ah!" I am cut off by Natsu opening the window and tossing me in. Thankfully I landed on a bed instead of the floor, because that would have hurt. I sit up and glare at the pinkette that is now also inside. "What was that for?! Why did you just barge in?!"

"Ah, it's ok! She won't mind! Just make yourself at home until she comes!" He grins at me. I just shake my head in response. _This idget is going to be the death of me. Though watching Lucy hit him will be funny._ We walk out of the bedroom and into the living room and I let out a squeal.

"What took you guys so long?" Gray was sitting on a couch, in only his boxers, with a glass of water in his hand.

"Yes, you both ran off and we had assumed you would make your way here immediately. When you were not here, we started to get worried. What kept you?" Erza was sitting at the small table in her pajamas, eating one of her cakes.

"Um, how did you all get it?" I was so confused.

"My guess is, the same way you did." Gray slouched more on the couch.

"Ah." I sighed at their nonchalance about this. "And it took us a little bit to get here because I wanted to get some clothes so we had to go to Mira's. I also wanted to let her know where I was going to be so I left her a note." Erza nodded.

"That was a good idea. That way she will not worry as much." Just then we heard the lock on the front door open. The handle turned and in seconds Lucy walked into her apartment. She wasn't paying attention, mumbling to herself something about idiotic fire heads. When she looked up finally, she screamed.

"What are you all doing here?! How did you get in?!" She looked at everyone with wide eyes. I smiled at her apologetically.

"Well, Natsu brought me in through the window, but I don't know about the other two."

"Hey, Luce! What took you so long?" Natsu came out from the kitchen, food in hand.

"Natsu…" Lucy growled before unleashing a Lucy Kick on him. I quietly giggled, not wanting to draw her attention to me again while she is upset. "Now, will someone explain why you are all in my apartment?!"

"You heard the Master. No one is to be by themselves tonight. Since we are a team, it is imperative that we stick close to one another." Erza, who had apparently made tea in this time, crossed her legs as she sat on the floor on a sleeping bag.

"But why my place?!"

"Oh, come on Luce! It will be fun! Stop worrying!" Natsu grins at her after he picked himself up off the floor. Lucy just slumps her shoulders and I rub circles on her back trying to comfort her. When she was able to process that she honestly couldn't do anything against the invading forces (aka Natsu and the other two intruders, not me. I am a victim here too.) she goes and puts the groceries she was carrying away. I follow her into the kitchen and watch as she starts cooking with a sigh.

"I'm sorry about this. I didn't know that you didn't know. Or that Natsu would break in. Or that he would toss me through your window." _Wow, Natsu really doesn't know how to plan anything. Or ask permission._

"I know it isn't your fault, Abilene." She pokes my forehead before continuing. "So don't worry about that. Honestly, this isn't the first time any of them has done this. Natsu has done it so many times I have lost count. I just sometimes wish they would ask me instead of just showing up. I mean, what if I was in the middle of something? Like getting dressed?" I just nod as she starts to rant about the stuff she ends up getting roped into by being a part of Natsu's team. We ended up talking until she was done cooking for everyone. The five of us gathered in the living room to eat and talk more. After we had all finished eating, and I helped clean up the dishes, we sat and talked some more before Natsu started to get bored and decided it would be a good idea to snoop around Lucy's stuff. This caused Lucy to hit him again, and the rest of us to laugh. Soon, we decided to play games like cards and Truth or Dare, though that one quickly derailed and had to be stopped. Night rolled around and each of us started to get tired. I was the first to crawl into bed, and Lucy was right behind me. Natsu laid by the two of us, Gray took the couch, and Erza spread out over half of the living room floor. It was wonderfully cozy, and sleep took us quickly. The next morning I am woken by a loud voice.

"Hey! Come on, Luce! I'm hungry!"

"No! You've already eaten most of the food in here, Natsu! You can wait!" I sit up and rub at my eyes as she huffs. "Anyways, we need to get ready and go to the guild." I groan softly and flop back on the sleeping bag and nuzzle my head into my pillow more. "Abilene, I saw you sitting up, now you need to get dressed." Lucy's footsteps were getting closer and I just tried to hide in the sleeping bag. It didn't work, she found me and pulled me up out of the warmth. Seconds later, my bag hit me in the face and knocked me back over. _Really? Does the universe hate me this morning?_ Natsu bursts out laughing at my lack of coordination in the morning and Lucy just sighs before helping me back up. I go into her bedroom and get dressed before going back into the living room. As soon as everyone was ready we left, out of the actual door this time. On our way to the guild, we noticed people whispering and looking at us with pity. We heard them mention something about the large tree in the park so we start running there. When we get there, our anger skyrockets. Pinned to the tree by metal rods is Team Shadowgear, made of Jet, Droy, and worst of all, Levy who was limp and had the Phantom Lord mark drawn on her exposed stomach. All three of them are bruised and have cuts all over, the blood staining their bodies. Multiple members of Fairy Tail are littered around the tree, each shaking with rage and worry. Gramps then is brought to the tree, and his magic starts to roll with his rage.

"I can handle the destruction of our guild hall, but this, this is unforgivable." His voice was low, but trembling with power. "No one hurts my children and gets away with it. They have gone too far. To hell with the Magic Council and their rules. This means WAR!"

The ground shook with the answering cry of the guild.

 _Phantom will learn what it means to war with Fairies and Dragons._


	8. Chapter 7 - So It Bgins

**A/N: Once again, I apologize for being late and for this being so short. I need to let you know that it may be a little while before I will be able to make consistent updates again. There is a lot going on, and it is delicate, but I will do my best!**

It took a little while, but everyone tried to get Levy and her team down from the tree as fast as they could so we could get them to the hospital. As soon as they were down, Mira and I rushed them to the nearest hospital before Mira called the guild's healer, Porlyusica. While waiting for Porlyusica to come, I start creating different plants I know that can be useful with healing as the nurses of the hospital started to clean up our guild mates. Within half an hour, I had made enough plants that Levy's room looked like a greenhouse and when Porlyusica came, she could hardly make her way to the bed.

"What is all of this?" the woman, who was older and had light pink hair, mumbled.

"I'm sorry, this is all me. I wanted to try and help so I made as many plants as I could that I knew could help with healing. There is poppy, aloe, saffron, khella, papaya, and many others. If you know of any that you can't find that you want, just let me know and I will try and grow it for you. Anything to help them." I fiddled with my fingers as I spoke, Porlyusica gave off quite the intimidating aura.

"Hmm. Good. At least one of Makarov's brats knows how to be useful. You can stay. Everyone else, OUT!" She shooed the nurses, Mira and one or two other guild members who had managed to squeeze in out. Over the next few hours, I ended up learning from the gruff woman and helped as much as I could. Apparently she likes me because I am "competent and quiet, unlike those other pests." That made me smile a little. She reminded me of one of the dragons that Lilladrium was friends with - rough on the outside, but nice on the inside. Soon, we were finished treating Levy and moved on to Jet, and then Droy. It took us until the afternoon to have them all on the mend, and in that time, Droy woke up! He was obviously still ruffled and nervous, but he was getting better and was safe. He was also very happy to learn the other two were healing nicely as well, thanking Porlyusica and myself profoundly. I just hid behind the healer a little bit, still unused to praise. We went back through Jet and Levy's rooms to check on them one more time before Porlyusica left for the day. As we were in Levy's room, which honestly still resembled a greenhouse, Erza came in.

"Porlyusica, we need you immediately, it's Master Makarov." No more words were needed as we both rushed after Erza. I know she didn't say for me to come as well, but I will not stay behind when I can help. On the way, Erza filled us in on what occurred. Apparently, Lucy is an heiress and had run away from home. Her father, whom I get the impression is not the nicest person, has hired Phantom to retrieve her. The fact that Phantom Lord was doing this to get their hands on Lucy is unforgivable. Erza says it just gives them the excuse to start a fight with Fairy Tail that they have wanted for years. We quickly get to the guild hall and are brought right to where Gramps is and we look in shock at what we see. He looks like he had his life sucked right out of him, and there was no magic energy radiating from him either. This was what worried me the most. I immediately started growing plants that Porlyusica rattled off, and the small area started to resemble Levy's. Porlyusica quickly got to work to figure out what happened. Soon, there was nothing else I could do to help, so the healer sent me to my guild mates and told me to let them know how he was doing. As soon as I got to the basement, which is where everyone still was, I noticed Lucy sitting on some crates looking really upset. Although, I really can't blame her for feeling that way. _If my father was a raging psycho willing to pay a bloodthirsty guild to kidnap me, I wouldn't exactly feel like celebrating either._

"Hey, Abilene, how is Master?" Erza was the first to notice me, and the first to start asking questions. Many more followed and I tried to answer them to the best of my ability. The more I spoke, the more Lucy looked like she was going to cry. I saw Natsu trying to make her feel better, and I heard as he talked to her.

"Luce, we will not let him take you away from us. You're family now! So, I promise, we will keep you safe." She just shook her head at him.

"It's my fault, Natsu. Master was hurt, Levy and her team were hurt, and the guild was ruined all because of me." Her words seemed to catch in her throat as she tried not to cry. I quickly brushed off the others wanting answers from me and made my way to her, hugging her close.

"No, Lucy. It is _not_ your fault! And Natsu is right, we will keep you here with us no matter what!" I pulled away and held her by the shoulders. "Got it?" Her response was a slight nod and then her tears let loose. I just hugged her again, like she has done with me a few times during the sleepovers.

"Abilene is right. This guild is family, and we protect our own." I heard Mira's voice as she came closer. _When did she come back? Who is with Levy and the others? Nevermind, more pressing matters right now._ Mira walked up next to us and put her hand on Lucy's head, showing that she was there for the crying girl as well. As the guild all speaks up in agreement, the ground starts to shake.

"What's going on? Are we having an earthquake or something?" Natsu looked around, scratching his head. One of the guild members goes up the stairs to see what was going on, and then quickly yelled down to us.

"Everyone! Get up here now!" We all rushed up the stairs and what we saw made us all worried. A giant fortress with the Phantom Lord symbol was making its way towards us on long mechanical legs. The sheer size of the building was enough to dwarf ours, and it was heavy enough to make the rumbling we had felt as it walked.

"That is the Phantom guild hall! It walks?!"

"What is it doing here?"

"What does Phantom want?"

So many questions and theories came from the guild, yet no one had a solid answer or idea. All of a sudden, the thing stopped walking and started to shake. As we were watching, we saw the building itself start to shift. A panel in the middle opened and out came a large cannon which started to gather energy - there was so much accumulating that the hair on the back of my neck started to rise.

"Prepare the magic focusing cannon: Jupiter. Eliminate them!" A deep voice resounded from the air around the Phantom base. Erza then ran forward.

"Everyone! Get down!" While she ran, she requipped into one of her armors.

"What are you doing? You can't hope to stop it! Erza!" Natsu tried to run towards her, but was stopped by Gray. Lucy and I huddled close to each other right as the blast goes off. All that can be seen in a bright light, then suddenly it is over. We all look around and see a clear path of destruction, but Erza was not where she had been standing just seconds before. Natsu starts running towards a prone figure a little ways away from us and I gasp, seeing it was her. Most of us were shocked. Erza always seemed to be invincible, but now she was laying on the ground unconscious. Now I was nervous. I had been practicing my magic with Laxus and Natsu, trying to get to be a bit more offense ready, but I am not sure I am ready for something of this scale. At least we were by a forest, that will help me.

"Erza and Makarov have fallen. You have no hope to win. Hand over Lucy Heartfilia to us." Jose spoke out once more. The response from the guild was immediate.

"No!"

"Lucy is a Fairy Tail wizard, we won't just let her go!"

"You won't get her!"

"Stop asking us to betray Lucy! We will never give her up to you creeps!" Natsu glared up at the Phantom construct and the guild roared in agreement.

"I suggest you reconsider. You will not be able to survive another blast from the Jupiter cannon. It will be fully charged and ready to fire in fifteen minutes. If you do not hand Miss Heartfilia to us, the cannon will be fired again, and you will die."

"Everyone, I am so sorry. This is all my fault." Lucy's quiet voice could barely be heard, but as soon as it was, everyone stopped and turned to her.

"No it isn't, Lucy. But you need to get somewhere safe." I looked at her as I spoke, knowing that many people agreed with me, especially Natsu.

"No! I will not leave while you all are fighting, especially because it is for me!" She clenched her fists and looked at all of us. From behind her, I could see Mira walking up. Mira lifted her hand to Lucy's head and the next thing we know, Lucy is unconscious in Elfman's arms and Mira had transformed herself to look like the boisterous blonde.

"Reedus, could you please make a cart and take Lucy somewhere safe?" Mira looked towards the guild hall where I could just barely see the poofy hair of said mage poking out from behind some debris.

"O-oui." He takes out a paint brush and paints a cart and pig on his white shirt over his rotund stomach. With a poof, the images that he had created came to life, and Lucy was placed in the back of the cart. Reedus ran to the pig and climbed on.

"Take her to the storage building that we have in the woods. You both should be safe there." Mira, still looking like Lucy, spoke calmly to the man. Reedus nodded and then was off. As soon as he was a little ways off, we all turned back to the construct behind us. Many shadow things were coming out of it, seeming to hover for a few seconds before starting towards us. These were Jose's shades, from what Mira explained to me. This was it.

 _ **The war was starting.**_


End file.
